


The gears set in motion

by Neyumo



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: A Clockwork Heart, AU, Abandoned Child, Babysitter Luke, Coming of Age, Gen, Play Characters, Play: A Clockwork Heart (A3!), mentions of human experimentation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:41:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26838400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neyumo/pseuds/Neyumo
Summary: [The Master Alchemist, Luke. The Great Inventor, Luke. Anyone who lived in the city would most definitely have heard of his name and achievements, but almost nothing about his personal life. One would usually find him hunched over a project in his laboratory-cum-workshop, but most of the city's denizens would know better than to interfere with Luke's precious working time, a genius needs his space after all. As such, he would mostly be left to his own devices.]Takes place /before/ the events in the play by Spring Troupe, A Clockwork Heart.(Content warnings and tags will be updated accordingly.)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 21





	1. Ch 1: dressed flax

The Master Alchemist, Luke. The Great Inventor, Luke. Anyone who lived in the city would most definitely have heard of his name and achievements, but almost nothing about his personal life. Citizens who were lucky enough to have passed by him on the streets would describe him as a quiet young man who mostly kept to himself, although he would politely tip his hat to anyone who greeted him, light brown hair falling into his bright turquoise eyes which narrowed as he offered a shy smile and a little bow.

Luke had a bad habit of getting too engrossed in any project he was currently working on, holing himself up in his laboratory for hours on end and only getting up if he got too tired or hungry. Normally none of the people in the city would disturb him, especially if he had his “DO NOT DISTURB” sign in bold lettering hung up outside his door. As a result, Luke was usually left to his own devices. Today was one of those days where the inventor had spent countless hours bustling around his workshop, the only sounds coming from the slight buzz of electricity and the soft hissing of steam, until Luke was interrupted by an elderly woman knocking on his door until he answered it with a slight scowl darkening his features, his normally bright eyes clouded from tiredness. Before he could open his mouth, she lightly patted his arm, gesturing at the steps that led up to his front door.

"I'm terribly sorry to disturb you when you are so hard at work, but I couldn't help but notice that you left your package untouched for so many hours… We are all very grateful for all the work you put in, but you mustn't lose track of your surroundings, my dear."

Luke closed his eyes, pressing his fingertips against the bridge of his nose before looking down to see what the woman was referring to. Sure enough, there sat a well-made basket, packed to the brim with…  _ something _ , a white cloth fully covering whatever was inside the basket. 

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I haven't actually ordered anything to be delivered here recently so--"

The elderly woman's eyes crinkled up as her face broke into a smile, clapping her hands in delight.

"Then, this means someone has left you a gift, how wonderful!"

She bent down, picking the basket up and pushed it into Luke's arms, who stumbled a little from the sudden movement. 

_ And the weight. Wait, isn't this "care package" a little too heavy?  _

With that, the woman gave a little bow, excusing herself and disappearing into the night.

Luke blinked, staring at the spot where the woman was just standing some moments ago, the soft hissing sound from a nearby gas lamp breaking the silence of the night. Hefting the basket in his arms, he nudged the door closed with his leg and retreated back into his house, sighing a little as he did so. Making a beeline to the kitchen, he set the basket down gently on the countertop.

"Why would anyone send me a care package like this…?"

Muttering to himself, Luke started peeling the cloth coverings away( _ which looked like quite a high quality fabric, did a noble send this? _ ) and paused mid-sentence as a barely noticeable huffing sound came from inside the basket. 

_ What? What was that? Is there a… living organism inside this basket? But why?  _

Fatigue suddenly gone, Luke deftly unwrapped the cloth to find a supposedly sleeping infant, swaddled in the same cloth that had been covering it earlier. 

_ An… an infant?! More importantly, why was it abandoned on my doorstep?! Did a noble really just dump their child on me? Why-  _

Luke' thoughts cut off, spotting a scrap of parchment tucked neatly between the layers of fabric. Warily plucking it out, he carefully scanned over the neat calligraphy.

_ "To Sir Luke: we feel that this child would be of more use in your hands than ours." _

Luke pressed his knuckles into the bridge of his nose, head still reeling from having a… baby suddenly being dumped into his hands. He ran a hand through his hair with an exasperated sigh before glancing back to the infant, only to have a pair of bright pink eyes staring back into his own tired turquoise ones. 

_ Pink eyes… Now it all makes sense. The child’s parents probably just wanted to unload their unwanted baggage onto someone… Wait, this is still a human life we’re talking about here! To think there are still people who still believe in superstitions to this extent…  _

A sudden warmth engulfed Luke, and he reached out and rubbed the infant’s cheek with the back of his finger lightly.  


_ How does one pick an infant up again… from what I recall seeing the women in the markets do…  _

He gingerly slid an arm under the bundle, hugging it close to his body and supporting the infant’s head with his other hand. For a split second, its face wrinkled up and Luke’s heart skipped a beat--  _ oh no please don’t cry, I’m not mentally prepared to handle something like that--  _ and then opened its mouth wide in a large yawn before seemingly falling back asleep. Luke heaved a sigh of relief, sitting himself down on a nearby stool and studying the infant’s face more closely.

_ Right, I need to give it a name… the paper didn’t mention anything about a name. _

Supporting the infant’s head in the crook of his arm, the inventor lightly rubbed his thumb over its features, gently prodding its plump cheeks, combing through its sparse, light coloured hair, brushing over its eyelashes ( _ which were also light coloured, how curious _ ).

“I think I’ll name you… Boyd.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I took so long writing this.. mostly being rusty as well as constantly thinking of scenarios but not actually typing anything out. If only a direct brain-thought to computer writing software exists..)
> 
> Thank you for reading up till this point! I personally love steampunk themes, so Clockwork Heart has been giving me brainworms for the longest time(lol)  
> Was it a little unexpected, seeing Luke as an adult but Boyd as an infant? I'll do my best to tell their story the best I can.  
> I apologise if the way I write is confusing, I will try my best to untangle the knots as the story goes on. Please, feel free to tell me your thoughts as well.
> 
> Until next time...  
> N


	2. One man's curse...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Back then, Luke would never have thought he would end up taking care of an infant, let alone finding a partner but here he was, thumbing through his own battered copy of the aforementioned book while holding a soundly sleeping baby Boyd with his free arm. The inventor sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, eyes trying to blink away the sleepiness and squinting a little at the tiny text printed on the pages of the thick book.]
> 
> Takes place before the events in the play by Spring Troupe, A Clockwork Heart.  
> There are mentions of human experimentation in this chapter, though there is nothing graphic.

Despite how technologically advanced the city Luke grew up in was, it still had its fair share of superstitions. Luke didn’t usually care much for the half-whispered rumors and hushed talk that the cityfolk engaged in, but one of them stood out to him and remained somewhere in the back of his mind. Namely, the rumors surrounding people born with any shade of pink eyes.

Among the general public, the most common story was that these people were simply cursed, and that they were monsters - though if asked to elaborate  _ why _ , nobody really could explain what exactly was so monstrous about them. The senior citizens, however, seemed to know something but when Luke tried to press them for more information, they would simply click their tongues, shaking their heads. ( _ That means they do know something, don’t they? Was there an agreement to keep mum about what really happened? _ )

The stories being told in the scientific community, however, spoke of a seemingly magical stone, or elixir that could be refined, or made from these pink eyes. As soon as Luke caught wind of these rumors from his peers at alchemy school, he had wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought of that sort of experimentation. Although not illegal, it was still frowned upon by the scientific community. A small part of him, however, was curious as to how true these stories were. Was there a safer way to carry out experiments with relation to this? Given the chance, how would he carry them out? Would he even be invested enough to research more into the topic? Why was he even entertaining these thoughts? Then-student Luke sighed, scanning the shelves for the next semester’s reading material --  _ Moral Sentiments and Human Nature  _ by T. Krauser. 

Back then, Luke would never have thought he would end up taking care of an infant, let alone finding a partner but here he was, thumbing through his own battered copy of the aforementioned book while holding a soundly sleeping baby Boyd with his free arm. The inventor sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that day, eyes trying to blink away the sleepiness and squinting a little at the tiny text printed on the pages of the thick book.

_...I’m not going to get anywhere at this rate. _

Sighing again, Luke shut the book softly and slowly stood up so as to not wake Boyd up and dragged himself to his own bed. He leaned against the headboard, arranging his pillows around him the best he could for maximum comfort. Once settled, he laid the still-sleeping baby on a pillow on his lap, arm still loosely curled around him. It’s been a hectic few days since baby Boyd was left on his doorstep, Luke having to get up to tend to the infant every time he cried which was… a lot. The books on how to raise a child that he borrowed from the local library in a panic all mentioned that babies can and would cry at anything and everything, be it hunger, thirst, discomfort, a dirty napkin, sickness… or even boredom. However, Boyd seemed to be more quiet, only crying when hungry or when his napkin was soiled which was definitely more than enough, in Luke’s opinion. Imagine having to deal with crying due to boredom, on top of all that… The alchemist shuddered a little at the thought. That meant he was doing something right, at least. 

Just as he was about to close his eyes for a brief rest, there came a knocking from the front door.

Knock knock knock.

Pause.

Knockknock. Knock.

Knock.

_ Ugh.. at this timing? Maybe if I ignore it he’ll go away for today.. _

Luke took a deep breath and pulled a soft blanket over Boyd, leaning back and closing his eyes but the same pattern of knocking continued, insistently. On his lap, Boyd stirred, letting out a whimper and the inventor sighed, sitting up and setting the pillow aside, deftly wrapping the baby up in the blanket and held him close to his chest, hushing him back to sleep.

_ That guy.. He better have a good reason for being here now, or else.. _

Grumbling under his breath, Luke trudged to the door and pushed it open. On his doorstep stood a young man with tan skin and light-coloured hair, his silver coloured eyes seemingly glowing in the light of the moon.

“Espen.. I swear, you better have a good reason for coming so late at night..”

“Relax, relax! I come, bearing gifts for you and your new son!”

Espen held up a large basket, grinning widely.

“Gods, Es.. How many times do I have to tell you, he’s not my son.. Ugh, fine. Just hurry up and come in.”

Luke gave an exasperated sigh, turning to move further into his home, Espen quietly closing the door behind him and tiptoeing around the workshop in an exaggerated manner. He gently lowered the basket onto the nearest counter, rummaging through its contents while humming a slow tune. Meanwhile, Luke sat down on the nearest chair, unconsciously rocking Boyd in time to Espen’s humming as he looked down at the sleeping baby’s face.

_ A rocking chair would probably make this easier… Ah, so that’s why people use rocking chairs. Maybe I should get one as well… hm. _

“--ke? Luke?”

Espen’s voice snapped him out of his train of thought and he blinked sleepily at the other man.

“...what?”

The other man tilted his head to one side, giving Luke a crooked smile.

“Are you sure you are all right by yourself? I can always come over more often, or stay here temporarily as your housekeeper.. I bet you haven’t even been eating proper meals, yourself.”

Luke scrunched his nose in a scowl and opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by a growl coming from his stomach.

_ Nice going, stomach. Way to betray me. _

He leaned back in his chair, gently brushing away some loose strands from Boyd’s peacefully sleeping face.

“...No, I haven’t. Well, I guess I wouldn’t mind if you’re that insistent on doing this… Wait, what about your shop?”

Espen gave a dismissive wave, walking over to gently pat Luke’s head, who found himself leaning a little into the touch, a wave of sleepiness washing over him.

“The kids at the shop can take care of themselves. You’re such a worrywart, Luke.”

“Mm.. you know…”

“Haha.. okay, now finish this mug of milk and honey, and let’s get you and Boyd to bed. I can take care of him tonight, you just get your rest.”

Espen winked at a bleary-eyed Luke before gently scooping the baby into his arms and gesturing to the steaming mug.

_ Huh? Where did the basket and everything inside go.. Did Es pack them away already? Hah, efficient as usual… _

His arms free and relaxed for the first time in days, Luke reached out to take the mug with both hands and started sipping at the concoction. The last time Espen had made this for him was when they were much younger.. Soon, the mug was emptied and a satisfied Luke put his hands down on his lap, fingers curled loosely around the mug and eyelids drooping.

“Psst, hey.. hey Luke..”

“Yes, yes.. I know…”

With a groan, the inventor dragged himself to the washing area, rinsing off his mug and starting his preparations for bed. Finally dragging himself to his room, he found Espen sitting at the edge of his bed, looking fondly at Boyd. Luke went to the other side and crawled in, too tired to think about the implications of their current arrangement and pulled his blankets around him. After a few heartbeats, he felt a gentle touch on his hair, then a softly whispered “Good night”. He hummed in response, and drifted off into a restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Finally, the long-awaited Chapter 2.. I hope the length and content didn't disappoint too much ;; I unfortunately brainrot for days on end but never type a single word in the process. Everything keeps running along in my head like hamsters on a treadmill.)  
> Here we find out what's the deal with people with pink eyes, albeit only briefly. Luke isn't much of a sweet-talker, unfortunately.  
> We are also introduced to a new character-Espen- who looks suspiciously like someone we know...? Luke and Espen have known each other for quite a while, at this point. Although Luke may act annoyed with Es, he just might not mind his company that much after all...  
> As always, thank you for reading up till this point. I will continue do my best to expand the world of Clockwork Heart.
> 
> Until next time...  
> N


End file.
